China on Tuesday asked relevant parties to keep the Sanya flight information region (FIR) map "out of politics," after Vietnam's state media said that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had corrected the Sanya FIR map to address Vietnam's concerns.
Vietnam objects to the inclusion of the Chinese term "Sansha city - China" and the English words "Yong Shu airport - Sansha" on the map, due to a dispute over Nansha Islands' Yongshu Jiao in the South China Sea.
The Vietnam New Agency on Saturday said that the ICAO had "corrected the Sanya FIR map as requested by Vietnam," in response to Vietnam's protest.
"This report is false," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a regular press briefing,
He added that the marking on the map provides effective and convenient air control and navigation support, and ensures security and order of international civil aviation transportation.
"We hope the relevant parties can keep this out of politics," he said.
